USWNT vs. South Africa - Lineup Notes & Starting XI | International Friendly presented by Allstate

USWNT vs. South Africa – International Friendly presented by Allstate
Date: September 24, 2023
Venue: Soldier Field; Chicago, Illinois
Broadcast: TNT, Universo, Peacock
Official Kickoff Time: 5:37 p.m. ET/4:37 p.m. CT

Starting XI vs. South Africa: 18-Casey Murphy; 4-Naomi Girma, 10-Lindsey Horan, 12-Tierna Davidson, 13-Alex Morgan, 14-Emily Sonnett, 15-Megan Rapinoe (Capt.), 17-Andi Sullivan, 19-Crystal Dunn, 20-Casey Krueger, 25-Trinity Rodman

Available Subs: 1-Alyssa Naeher, 2-Ashley Sanchez, 6-Lynn Williams, 9-Alyssa Thompson, 11-Alana Cook, 16-Midge Purce, 21-Aubrey Kingsbury, 22-Savannah DeMelo, 23-Emily Fox, 26-Jaedyn Shaw, 27-Sam Coffey, 28-Mia Fishel

Not Dressing: Ashley Hatch, M.A. Vignola

GAME NOTES | FIVE THINGS TO KNOW              

• USWNT Starting XI Cap Numbers (Including this match): Morgan (213), Rapinoe (203), Dunn (138), Horan (135), Sonnett (79), Sullivan (51), Davidson (50), Krueger (40), Rodman (24), Girma (22), Murphy (15)

• Sunday’s lineup to face South Africa features five different players from the lineup that started in Cincinnati. Casey Murphy gets the start in goal for Alyssa Naeher, Casey Krueger and Tierna Davidson join the backline for Emily Fox and Alana Cook, Andi Sullivan comes on in the midfield for the now-retired Julie Ertz and Megan Rapinoe starts in the attack for Lynn Williams.

• Megan Rapinoe will captain the USA as she earns her 203^rd and final cap for the USWNT. Rapinoe’s final match comes 17 years and 63 days after making her international debut on July 23, 2006. Only three players have had a longer USWNT career: Kristine Lilly (23 years, 94 days), Christie Pearce (18 years, 204 days) and Mia Hamm (17 years, 127 days). The 2012 Olympic gold medalist and two-time World Cup champion ranks 10^th in USWNT with 63 goals scored and is tied with Abby Wambach for third with 73 assists.

• Casey Murphy will earn her 15^th cap as she makes her fourth start of 2023, and first since April 11 when she recorded a clean sheet against the Republic of Ireland. Murphy has posted a shutout in each of her three appearances this year for the USWNT, those coming against New Zealand, Japan and Ireland, and has 10 career clean sheets.

• Naomi Girma will make her seventh consecutive start for the USWNT, extending the longest such streak of her international career, as she earns her 22^nd cap. Girma has played the full match in 16 of her previous 21 career appearances and has been a mainstay on a backline that has allowed just two goals total this year.

• Lindsey Horan will make her 12^th start of the year as she earns her 135^th cap. Horan leads the USA in minutes played in 2023 and assisted Lynn Williams’ second goal on Sept. 21 against South Africa. Horan now has 29 international goals and 34 assists, one away from becoming the 16^th player in USWNT history with 30+ goals and 30+ assists.

• Tierna Davidson will make her second appearance and second start of the year for the USA as she earns her 50^th cap, becoming just the 66^th player in USWNT history to make 50 or more international appearances. Davidson, who has played the entirety of her club career for the Chicago Red Stars, came on for Becky Sauerbrunn in the USA’s April 11 match in St. Louis, marking her return to the field for the USA just over a year after tearing her ACL in March of 2022.

• Alex Morgan will make her 213^th international appearance for the USWNT as she makes her 13^th appearance of the year. Morgan is tied for the team lead with four assists this year, her most recent coming in the USA’s 3-0 win over South Africa in Cincinnati. She now has 51 career assists to go along with 121 international goals. With Rapinoe retiring from international competition, Morgan will be the only U.S. player and one of only five active players worldwide with 200+ caps.

• Emily Sonnett will earn her 79^th cap as she makes her third consecutive start of the USWNT, her longest such streak since the end of 2019. This marks her 10^th appearance and third start of the 2023 campaign.

• One of only two players to appear in every match for the USA this year, Andi Sullivan will make her 11^th start of the year as she earns her 51^st career cap. Sullivan is third on the USWNT this year in minutes played with 937 and leads the USWNT in total minutes played since the end of the 2021 Olympics, logging 2,486 minutes of action over 33 games.

• Crystal Dunn will make her 12^th appearance – and 12^th start – of 2023 as she earns her 138^th cap for the USA, taking sole possession of 25^th on the USWNT’s all-time caps charts. Dunn scored in the USA’s 2016 matchup against South Africa, which was also contested at Soldier Field in Chicago.

• Longtime Chicago Red Star and Naperville, Illinois native Casey Krueger will make the start as she earns her 40^th cap with the USWNT. This will be the 25^th career start for Krueger and her first since October 21, 2021. Krueger returned to the field for the USWNT on April 11, seeing her first made her return to the field following the birth of her son, Caleb, in July of 2022.

• Coming off a goal on Thursday night in Cincinnati, Trinity Rodman will make her eighth start of the year as she earns her 24^th career cap. Rodman will be making her team-leading 14^th appearance of 2023 and now has three goals and three assists on the year, tied with Rose Lavelle and Alex Morgan for the second-most goal contributions on the team.